While most people think that ZIP codes were originally created randomly, there is actually an order to the US mail system. Since it turns out that it has a branching structure, it implies that it has a fractal dimension. Samuel Arbesman of Wired’s Social Dimension used the ZIPScribbles images created by Robert Kosara to calculate the fractal dimension of the US ZIP code system.

It’s easy to find a reason why Facebook’s email service, or much hyped Gmail-killer, won’t really affect Gmail all that much: spam. How much spam do you get in your Facebook message box? I get tons. How much spam do I get in Gmail? Not a lot and if I do, Gmail’s spam filter is notoriously efficient. However, technically speaking, Facebook Messages isn’t designed to compete with Gmail, or is it?